Committee approves several environment and transportation bills, schedules sewer-interceptor briefing

The House Environment and Transportation Committee met Friday, Feb. 13, for voting list number 2 and approved several bills by voice vote, accepted withdrawals, and scheduled a briefing on the Potomac Sewer Interceptor rupture.

Chair Stein reported the environment subcommittee recommended HB146 favorably and moved a technical clarifying amendment to specify two references to “the department” mean the Department of the Environment. The amendment was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee then moved HB146 as amended and approved it; the chair noted members to be recorded in opposition: Delegate Jacobs, Delegate Baker, Delegate Grammer and Delegate Naraki. Delegates Long and Holmes added themselves as cosponsors.

Chair Stein also reported HP/HB164 as straight favorable from the subcommittee with no amendments. The committee moved and approved the bill by voice vote; the chair noted there was no opportunity to be added as a cosponsor for that item.

Chair Foley presented HB220 and summarized the committee amendments, which (as described in committee) authorize installation of individual water submeters in qualifying apartments and mobile home parks, set accuracy, recordkeeping, billing and complaint processes, establish processes for continued billing during submeter malfunction, strike leak-detection-monitor requirements, and create a potential private cause of action for tenants to pursue submeter complaints. The amendments also clarified eligible costs landlords may impose on submetered units and addressed how a tenant could be required to pay a third party for submetered water or sewer service; the committee declined a request from opponents to raise the administrative fee cap. Chair Foley moved the amendments; committee members noted organized opposition from realtors, builders and trade groups (named in the transcript as “realtors, builders, NAOP, and AO”). HB220 as amended passed by voice vote; the presiding officer recorded opposition from Delegates Jacobs, Baker, Grammer, Naraki and Morgan. Vice Chair Guyton asked to be added as a cosponsor.

On transportation matters, Chair Lewis reported HB55 from the transportation subcommittee as favorable with no amendments. HB55 would expand to all local jurisdictions authorization to install and use speed monitoring systems on highways and residential districts with maximum posted speeds of 35 mph. The committee approved HB55 by voice vote; members listed to be recorded in opposition included Delegates Jacobs, Baker, Grammer and Naraki.

Chair Lewis also reported HB177 as favorable with no amendments. The bill authorizes a person on a bicycle, play vehicle or unicycle to enter an intersection on red when a pedestrian control walk signal provides a pedestrian lead interval. The committee approved HB177 by voice vote.

The presiding officer noted several bills listed at the bottom of the vote sheet were withdrawn; the committee accepted those withdrawals by voice vote.

The committee scheduled a 2 p.m. briefing (same day) on the rupture of the Potomac Sewer Interceptor, with representatives expected from the Maryland Department of the Environment, DC Water, the University of Maryland (a professor), Potomac Riverkeepers and a Maryland Department of Health representative for questions. Chair Foley clarified that the infrastructure failure is owned by DC Water and emphasized that while the failure is DC Water’s responsibility, it nevertheless affects the committee’s constituents.

Next steps: bills that passed will proceed according to House floor procedures; the briefing on the Potomac Sewer Interceptor is scheduled for 2 p.m. the same day and will be livestreamed.